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UNESCO to vote on Western Wall as extension of Al-Aqsa Mosque proposal Tuesday

Lobbying efforts continue as Palestinian proposal to UNESCO likely to be voted on today

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed the Palestinian proposal submitted to UNESCO to declare the Western Wall a Muslim holy site.

The proposal, submitted by Jordan on behalf of the Palestinians with support from Kuwait ,Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, will likely go to vote on Tuesday.

The proposal not only calls for the Western Wall to be officially recognized as part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, but also the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb as official Muslim sites. Furthermore, the proposal additionally calls to condemn Israeli “violence” in the Palestinian territories.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the statement: In view of Palestinian attempts to bring about resolutions at UNESCO which constitute a distortion of reality and a falsification of historical facts in Jerusalem, thus purporting to present the Wailing Wall (Western Wall) as if it were a Muslim holy site, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Director General Dr. Dore Gold, is actively working to put a stop to this underhanded maneuver… the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is engaged with friendly countries and with the heads of UNESCO in order to ensure that this Palestinian attempt fails. This is a clear endeavor to distort history, in order to erase the connection between the Jewish people and its holiest site, and to create a false reality.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely stated on the proposal, “The historical connection between the people of Israel to their land is stronger than any provocative Palestinian proposal, and we will continue to present the simple basic truth that we are the sovereign in our land against their lies.”

The Western Wall is the closest Jews are able to pray and worship to the Temple Mount, a remnant of the Second Temple.

US members of Congress, Jewish groups and organizations internationally have been lobbying against the proposal in cooperation with Israeli efforts.